European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 24, 1978, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes sunday september 24, 1978 Congress puts of on 79 budget Washington up Congress sat urday adopted a 1979 Federal budget with the lowest deficit in five years and an influential senator said a balanced budget now May be possible before 1983. In a rare saturday session the Senate gave final congressional approval with a 47-7 vote. The budget for the fiscal year beginning oct. 1, Calls for $487.5 billion in spending and a $38.8 billion deficit. Those figures Are $11 billion and $12 billion less respectively than were projected in a target Bud get for the same year approved by con Gress last May. The new deficit is nearly $22 billion less than president Carter first projected in january for 1979. A total of 46 senators were absent from the Early morning session called by Senate democratic Leader Robert Byrd of West Virginia in an Effort to reduce a heavy backlog of Bills awaiting action before adjournment of Congress. Compromise version the vote was on a Compromise version of the budget negotiated by a House Senate conference and approved earlier in the week by the full House. Sen. Edmund Muskie a Maine chair Man of the Senate budget committee said the reduced deficit was due in part to lower than expected costs in existing programs. But some of the reduction he said was due to deliberate congressional action to Cut Back on new  for that reason Muskie said Congress could be proud of the budget. It gives us real reason to Hope that we can balance the budget earlier than the 1983 target established in the budget pro Cess he said. The budget does not have to be signed and cannot be vetoed by president Carter. Congress set up a new budget process four years ago under which it prepares the Only Federal budget that is in any Way binding. The budget submitted by the president each january states the administration s goals and recommendations. In scaling Down its tentative May Bud get Congress called for cuts in International affairs Community and regional development fiscal assistance to localities and housing. Only guidelines however decisions in the budget on How spending should be divided among differ ent purposes Are not binding on Congress when it comes to passing specific Legisla Tion. They Are Only guidelines although they have considerable persuasive weight. The Only figures in the budget that Are binding on Congress Are those for total spending revenues and the deficit. Thus Congress has leeway to shift the priorities outlined in the budget by taking away from one area and giving to another when it passes specific legislation. The budget makes room for general tax cuts during Calendar year 1979 of $19.4 Bil lion or about enough to compensate americans for higher social Security taxes plus the effect inflation has of pushing them into higher tax brackets. Greg Barnes takes off while bowl Riding at the Edge of a Concrete Pool. Airborne on o Board he s whizzing around on his narrow wheeled vehicle at the skater Crater skateboard Park in san Bernardino Calif. A photo possibly within a few Days Byrd sets stage for action on Era Washington a in a parliamentary Man Euver Senate democratic Leader Robert c. Byrd set the stage saturday for Senate floor action possibly As Early As this week on extending the ratification deadline for the equal rights Amend ment. Byrd s move taken in a rare saturday session Means he can now bring up the measure for Senate action any time he wants even As soon As monday morning. Shortly after the Senate convened at 7 45 a.m., and with Only Byrd and Senate minority Leader Howard Baker r-tenn., on the floor Byrd announced he planned to bring up the Era Extension. He then moved that the Senate adjourn. Then after a two second adjournment he brought the Senate Back into session for another legislative  under Senate rules that automatically moved the Era measure directly to the Senate Calendar where it can be called up without Challenge. Although there was no indication on when Byrd would schedule the measure for debate his move limits the Way in which opponents can. Filibuster it and makes it easier to formally bring it before the full Senate. Without the Man Uever any attempt to bring up the Extension could have been challenged leading to a filibuster. Baker made no attempt to Stop Byrd s Man Euver although he said he has major reservations about the Extension and believes that a two thirds vote should be required to approve it. Byrd said he believes Only a simple majority is needed. The Era which would outlaw discrimination based on sex must be ratified by 38 states by March 22, 1979, to become part of the Constitution. To Date it has been approved by 35 of them but four have since rescinded approval. The Validity of that move still is in question and the Justice department has said it is up to Congress to decide. The states that have rescinded approval Are Kentucky Tennessee Idaho and Nebraska. Kentucky s action was vetoed however. The House has agreed to extend the Era deadline from March 22,1979, to june 30, 1982, but the proposal is in jeopardy in the Senate because of a backlog of Legisla Tion and anticipation of a filibuster by Era opponents. Stabbed in the Back Hargette nudist says san Diego a the Young woman whose nude pose for Playboy Magazine caused the san Diego chargers to fire their entire cheer leading squad is bitter about her treatment in the controversy but says she has no regrets. In fact i m a nudist i m currently miss nude California Elizabeth Caleca 27, the oldest member of the now defunct Cha Gettes said Friday. She said she was stabbed in the Back by almost every Hargette on the squad when she had expected them to Back her in the controversy. But they came up with this stuff about How they had to get rid of me for the Sake of future Cha Gettes Caleca remarked. You know a Hargette Lias to be clean and pure. I m not immoral i m actually very wholesome and Domestic she said. Caleca who posed with four other Cha Gettes for Playboy s december pictorial on National football league cheer leaders says the photo session was sanctioned by the Charger front office. They did t specifically say not to pose in the nude the unemployed Model and one time waitress said. But when it s for Playboy Magazine what did they expect group director Rhonda Bosworth meanwhile says the Cha Gettes Haven t yet turned in their scanty Blue Gold and White uniforms As ordered by the chargers and Are deciding whether to go it alone on the outside As a dance group. Non smokers wed to smokers May die sooner Pittsburgh up a statistician has completed a study indicating that non smoking women married to smoking Hus bands die an average of four years earlier than those whose husbands Don t smoke. Gus h. Miller statistician at Edinboro state College says the study proves so called passive smoking is harmful. The tobacco Institute however Dis counts Miller s findings As bordering on  Miller Long an anti cigarette advocate obtained death records for Erie county pa., for the years 1972-1975. Miller and his assistants interviewed survivors of the deceased and recorded de tailed information on smoking habits work habits general health and weight and spouses smoking habits. The study Only considered husbands who were continuous smokers not those who started late or quit Early. After More than 8,000 interviews Miller separated the non smoking women into two groups those married to regular smokers and those married to men who never smoked. He computed the average age at death for wives of non smoking men at 78.8 years compared with 74.7 years for women married to smokers. Miller has Many critics chief among them the tobacco Institute inc., a group funded by tobacco growers to counter smoking criticism. Bill Dwyer an Institute spokesman said Miller s study has to pass under the ban Ner of  it just flies in the face of the expert medical testimony. This is essentially the Way the whole Case against tobacco has been made through the use of statistics and the abuse of statistics the spokes Man said. Miller who also holds degrees in chemistry and psychology forbids smoking in his Home or office and runs clinics to help smokers shed the habit